Twenty-two graduate from Ecumenical Institute of Theology

Twenty-two students, including seven lay persons from the Archdiocese of Baltimore and 14 seminarians, graduated from St. Mary’s Seminary and University’s Ecumenical Institute of Theology May 16.

Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti, who received an honorary doctor of divinity from the Baltimore institute, delivered the graduation address. Archbishop William E. Lori presided.

Archdiocesan recipients of the Ecumenical Institute’s master of arts in theology include Amy Lee Spessard of St. John the Evangelist, Frederick; Barbara Mary Tilghman of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Baynesville; Julie Ann Wilberding of St. Ann, Hagerstown; and Pamela Brant Wright of St. Charles Borromeo, Pikesville.

The master of arts in church ministries was awarded to Deacon Kevin Brown of Holy Trinity, Glen Burnie; Mary Katherine Gosnell-Caplan of St. John the Evangelist, Hydes; and Mary C. Peroutka of St. Bernadette, Severn.

“The church ministry program at the Ecumenical Institute has broadened and deepened my understanding of ministry and challenged me to serve God in new ways,” said Deacon Brown, who was the recipient of one of the Deans’ Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Study & Practice of Ministry. “The professors, the staff, and especially my fellow students became an important part of my faith journey. In whatever lies ahead in my ministry, the ‘E.I.’ experience will remain an important influence.”

St. Mary’s Seminary and University is the first Roman Catholic seminary in the United States.

Through the Ecumenical Institute of Theology, its evening and Saturday division, St. Mary’s offers fully accredited ecumenical theological education at the graduate level to qualified women and men in the greater Baltimore area. In addition to the two master’s degrees, the Ecumenical Institute program includes graduate-level certificates, a post-master’s certificate for clergy and others, and a variety of classes for credit or for audit.